Differential gene expression in stromal cells of human giant cell tumor of bone

Giant cell tumor (GCT) offers a unique model for the hematopoietic-stromal cell interaction in human bone marrow. Evidence has been presented that GCT stromal cells (GCTSCs) promote accumulation, size and activity of the giant cells. Although GCTSCs are considered the neoplastic component of GCT, little is known about their genetic basis and, to date, a tumor-specific gene expression pattern has not been characterized. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been identified as the origin of the GCT neoplastic stromal cell. Using state of the art array technology, expression profiling was applied to enriched stromal cell populations from five different GCTs and two primary MSCs as controls. Of the 29 differentially expressed genes found, 25 showed an increased expression. Differential mRNA expression was verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of 10 selected genes, supporting the validity of cDNA arrays as a tool to identify tumor-related genes in GCTSCs. Increased expression of two oncogenes, JUN and NME2, was substantiated at the protein level, utilizing immunohistochemical evaluation of GCT sections and Western-blot analysis. Increased phosphorylation of JUN Ser-63 was also found.